


Skin and Bone

by washi



Series: Blood and Marrow [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:47:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/washi/pseuds/washi
Summary: Short stories and drabbles in the universe of Blood and Marrow that don't necessarily fit in the main storyline.
Series: Blood and Marrow [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002525
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	Skin and Bone

**Author's Note:**

> **Happy Halloween (A month late)!**
> 
> I wanted to write some Halloween fluff for Blood and Marrow, so I did. Hope you all enjoy! My understanding of four-year-olds is fairly limited, but from my experiences with my niblings I know that they are often loud and excited.

Halloween revelers were already on the streets as I slid my phone into my pocket and began my walk home. It was still early, and most seemed to be meeting up to go elsewhere in the city.

I passed girls with animal ears and guys with fake blood. Nothing particularly complex or impressive. Most of them seemed to be broke college kids putting in minimal effort. Enough that they'd get cheap drinks at the bars and clubs around town.

Not that I blamed them. I'd do the same, if Apollo ever held similar promotions.

I glared at the still out-of-order elevator and headed up the stairs, prioritizing my mental to-do list.

I didn't need to worry about trick-or-treaters at my apartment. While there were a couple of kids in the building, they usually went to the suburbs. They got a better candy haul there than in the city.

"Hey Sans, I'm home!" I called out as I kicked off my shoes and dropped my bag. I hooked my phone to my speaker and turned on my Halloween mix to get into a spooky mood.

My Halloween tradition was simple: Spend the night watching family-oriented "spooky" movies with Abby's kids. We'd done it for years.

It was one of my absolute favorite traditions.

I hummed along to _This Is Halloween_ as I pulled out the sofa bed and gathered all the blankets and pillows I owned.

"You're home early," Sans said behind me as I was putting together a blanket fort.

"Need to get you a friggin' bell," I muttered without any heat. I'd mostly become accustomed to the skeleton popping into existence whenever he wanted.

"I never work Halloween night," I explained as I took down a photo to hang up a spare sheet. I was attempting to make something like a tent, but it wasn't working out quite as well as I had hoped. "It's one of the few nights I make sure to take off every year. People get ... weird on Halloween, so being out late is a bad idea."

The sheet wouldn't stay up and I was getting frustrated.

The song switched to an electro-swing cover of _Spooky Scary Skeletons_ , and I stopped in my tracks.

I had no idea how monsters felt about Halloween.

More importantly I had no idea how _Sans_ felt about Halloween.

Or how the _very real skeleton_ felt about songs referencing his ... species? Race?

_Spooky scary skeletons_

_Send shivers down your spine_

I glanced at Sans, uncertain what to expect.

He was staring at the speaker with a blank, dark eyed stare. Completely unreadable.

I dropped the sheet and fumbled with my phone in an attempt to change the song.

"By the way," I said in a lame attempt to distract the skeleton from the ... potentially offensive song. "I completely forgot to warn you. My niece - and maybe my nephew but probably not - is gonna be spending the night."

I finally paused the music, cutting off the music. I looked at Sans with a frown, feeling guilty for springing this on him at the last minute. "I completely forgot to talk to you about it. I'm sorry, it's just ... what I do every year."

Sans shrugged, turning back to my mostly-unassembled couch fort. "That's what this is for?"

"Yeah," I said with a nod as I turned back to the mess. "I never remember how to put together a good fort. It usually ends up more of a nest than anything else."

I picked up the sheet, reaching to hang it on the wall, when a knock sounded at the door.

I glanced at my phone, "That's probably my sister."

Sans had vanished again by the time I opened the door and was half knocked over by forty pounds of tiny human.

"TRICK OR TREAT AUNT T!"

I recovered my balance quickly, reaching under my niece's arms to spin around and lift her into a hug.

"Trick or treat?" I asked, my tone playful. "Hmm ... I choose trick! And _my_ trick is ... eating you up! OMNOMNOMNOM!"

I buried my face against her stomach, play chomping at her and holding her tightly as she squirmed and giggled.

"No! Not candy!" she squealed, kicking and wriggling in an attempt to get away. "Mama, help!"

I glanced at Abby, still in the doorway and watching us with a fond smile.

"Help?" she asked, a mischievous lilt in her voice. "I suppose I _could_."

She took Chloe from my arms and held her gently before doing the exact same thing as I had. The little girl screamed and squealed again.

I turned to Xander and James, talking in hushed tones in the doorway.

"I didn't know you two were vampires. Need an invite to come in?" I asked.

James was first, arms wide in an offer of a hug. I accepted, returning his affection happily. Xander followed, holding a small pink backpack that I assumed was for Chloe.

"That can go on the couch," I said to him as I pulled away from James. I resisted the urge to ruffle my nephew's carefully-styled hair. "You staying the night?"

"Nah," James said. "Friend is having a party, gonna crash there."

"Sounds fun," I said before giving him a stern look. "Make good choices."

"I already got that talk from mom _and_ dad," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"And now you've heard it from your aunt as well," I chuckled as I gave him a side hug. "You've got a lot of people who care about you."

I turned my attention back to my sister and niece, finally taking in their costumes.

"Pirates?" I asked, a little surprised. Last month Chloe had excitedly told me she was going to be a fairy princess.

"Preschool politics," Abby answered with a sigh, "A girl in Chloe's class claimed princess rights."

"Cassie," Chloe spat, her voice full as much malice as a four year old could have. "She said _she_ was gonna be a princess and nobody else could. Miss Tiana said she couldn't do that, but she said her _mommy_ said she could. And all the other girls agreed, so I had to."

I nodded along, completely lost. I vaguely knew Miss Tiana was Chloe's teacher, but I knew absolutely nothing about her classmates. I had no idea how this Cassie was able to control the entire preschool.

"So you decided to be a pirate?" I asked Chloe.

"I'm a _fairy pirate queen_!" Chloe answered in an excited shout as she turned around.

I hadn't noticed them before, but sure enough she was wearing sparkly red wings to go with her pirate apparel.

My heart melted at how adorable she was.

"You're a queen!" I said, covering my mouth in playful surprise. "Forgive my insolence, your majesty, I had not known!"

I bowed deeply toward her, causing her to erupt into giggles again.

"We should get going," Abby said with a glance at her watch. "Didn't you have something you wanted to ask your aunt, Clo?"

At the reminder Chloe turned to me, running forward and grabbing my legs. "Aunt T! Come trick or treat with us! Please, please, _pleeeeeeease!_ "

Even with Abby's earlier warning I had assumed my niece had only wanted me to come along as an afterthought, so I was surprised by her excitement. I knelt down next to her, putting myself at her level.

"I don't have a costume," I said. "I won't match you guys."

"Momma brought you a costume!" Chloe said.

My attention snapped to Abby, who raised her hands defensively.

"No pressure," she said quickly. "Chloe has been _insisting_ you come with us. It was _her_ idea to get you a costume."

I snorted. Chloe was more stubborn than a mule when she wanted something, and Abby was a pushover. She had a hard time saying ‘no' to the little girl.

Not that I blamed her. If I could, I would give Chloe the world on a silver platter.

I glanced at the sad blanket fort with a frown.

"Well ... " I said as I turned back to Chloe. She was staring at me with wide, pleading eyes that made my heart ache.

 _That's cheating_.

"If I go with you, we won't have a blanket fort," I said carefully. "I won't have time to set it up. But if you _really_ want me to come with you, I will. It's up to you. Do I go trick or treating with you, or do we have a cuddle fort to sleep in?"

Chloe bit her lip as she thought through the options. It was a big decision.

Abby made some motion to Xander, who pulled a plastic packet out of his laptop bag. I assumed that was my costume.

"Trick or treat!" Chloe cried out after a moment of indecision. "Come trick or treat with us!"

"Alright," I said with a nod.

Xander handed me the costume and I felt the relief flood me when I realized it would cover my arms and legs. I gave my sister a grateful smile as I turned back to Chloe.

"I'll go get this on and let my friend know I'm leaving for a while, okay?"

She threw herself at me again, nearly knocking me over since I had already been a little off balance. She screamed with excitement.

"You're coming with us?: James asked from the kitchen. He had apparently been raiding my fridge.

"I can't say no to the pirate queen," I said with a smile. "Give me ten and I'll be ready to go."

. . . . .

The costume was easy to put on, and it fit me surprisingly well. It was still an off-the-rack outfit, though, and the material was thin. I ended up putting on an undershirt so I wouldn't freeze.

It only looked a _little_ awkward.

"Hey Sans, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked at his door.

He opened the door a crack and took me in with a single eyesight.

"I'm going with Abby to trick or treat," I said with a wave at my costume. "Wanted to let you know and give you my cell in case you needed me."

I held the device out to him but he didn't take it, instead looking toward the living room. I could hear Abby talking in hushed tones, probably reminding Chloe of the rules for the night.

"If you need me you can call or text Abby," I said, pushing the phone toward the skeleton.

He shrugged, opening the door fully and taking the phone from my hand. It disappeared into his hoodie pocket.

"I'll be back in a couple hours," I said, "Chloe is staying the night, James had his own thing going on. We'll be sleeping in the living room."

I took a step back, intending to end the conversation there.

Sans stopped me.

"Can I use magic to ... maybe do somethin'?"

I blinked, trying to remember if I had ever said he _couldn't_ use magic. I thought I had been careful to not give _any_ commands.

Then it dawned on me that it was likely a preset command. One given to all monsters as soon as they had been collared. I vaguely remembered that coming up during the legislative phases.

Magic was disallowed unless specific permission was obtained.

The idea was heavy, sour at the back of my throat.

Everything I had read said that magic was an important part of a monster's identity. As unique and integral to their sense of self as self-expression was to humans.

Forbidding it felt like forbidding music. Or art.

"Of course," I said with a nod. "You know the rules, nothing permanent, nothing damaging."

Sans rolled his eye lights at me, but his smile softened a little.

"Thanks."

He closed the door, ending the conversation.

. . . . .

We went trick or treating in my mother's neighborhood.

I knew Abby had chosen the particular suburb, at least partly, to rub her family in our mother's face.

Mom had never accepted Chloe as her granddaughter.

Whenever she had a chance, Abby threw this fact in our mother's face.

"Look at this adorable, perfect little girl you could have spoiled if you weren't such a horrid bitch. But because you _are_ a horrible human being, you only get to see her a couple times a year."

It always worked.

I grinned as I walked Chloe up to the door, excited to see my mother's face as she realized who was knocking.

Unfortunately, my mother didn't answer her own door anymore.

Instead the rabbit woman was handing out candy this year.

With how quickly she opened the door, I suspected she had little else to do tonight.

"Trick or treat!" Chloe shouted in sing-song. She held out her treat bucket with a bright smile.

"Happy Halloween!" The rabbit woman said in response. Her voice was gentle and warm, tinged with sadness she hid well.

She knelt down to let Chloe choose a treat of her own.

"Thank you!" Chloe said as she carefully chose one of the fun-sized candies and took a step back. She looked between the doorway, me, and the monster.

"Umm," she said, suddenly shy and uncertain. "This is my grammas house! Is she here? I wanna show her my costume!"

The monster woman startled, looking down at Chloe and then at me. Recognition brightened her features as she saw me for the first time.

She didn't speak, which made me frown. Knowing my mother, she was still not allowed to speak most of the time.

She probably had allowance to say "Happy Halloween." Maybe "You're welcome."

I glared into the dark house. If it was silence my mother wanted ...

"If you can't speak, you can use Hands," I said as I signed. The movements were awkward with the candy bucket in my hand, but I managed. "You mind if I call for her?"

The rabbit woman looked at the bowl of candy in her hands before giving me an apologetic shrug. She stepped back, allowing me to cross the threshold and enter the house.

"Hey mom!" I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Your _daughters_ are here to say Happy Halloween!"

I took a step back. Either she'd answer or not and I didn't care much either way.

"Everything okay?" Abby asked as she came up to the porch.

I nodded and knelt down to give Chloe a hug.

"Clo wanted to see her gramma," I explained. "And _I_ want to show off the cutest little pirate in the whole world."

Chloe giggled and Abby nodded, looking past me. Her vision darkened for a moment before she held out a hand to the monster woman.

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Abby, her older daughter, although she probably doesn't call me that," she paused for a moment, and I could see her considering what she was going to say. "Is my mother treating you alright?"

I took the candy from the monster so she could take Abby's hand.

Inside the house I heard someone - presumably my mother - shuffling around.

I guess she _was_ going to acknowledge our existence tonight.

The rabbit monster didn't respond outside of a curt nod. She took the candy bowl back, looking behind her uneasily.

"Are you from Snowdin?" Abby asked.

The monster jumped, spinning to meet Abby's gaze. After a moment she nodded, blinking back tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes.

Then my mother appeared, cutting off the nascent conversation.

Over whatever nightwear she had on she wore a long, flowing robe. Fur lined the edges.

She looked like a crime drama villain. The widow whose rich husband had died under ‘mysterious circumstances'.

She looked ridiculous.

"Theresa!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw me. "What are you doing here?"

"Trick or Treat," I said, voice flat as I lifted my treat bucket, I motioned to Chloe and Abby beside me. "We're celebrating the holiday."

My mother spared a single glance at Abby before giving her a dismissing "tsk".

Then she saw Chloe.

"And what are _you_ supposed to be," she demanded.

She seemed unimpressed, possibly disgusted, by my niece's costume. Which had to be an act. Everyone else who had seen us had found her to be absolutely precious.

Even my mother wasn't _that_ heartless.

"I'm the fairy pirate queen," Chloe said, puffing out her chest. She wasn't put off at all by my mother's tone. "Momma and aunt T and daddy and Jamie are my pirate crew!"

The line of my mother's mouth flattened further at the mention of the rest of Abby's family.

"I thought you might want to see you _granddaughter_ in her _Halloween_ costume," Abby said, Her voice held a veiled threat.

 _Be nice_.

"It's a very nice costume," our mother spat, all venom and spite. "Although I suppose it would be, with a ... _parent_ like _you_."

"Thank you," Abby said, ignoring the insult. "We need to keep going. It was nice to see you."

She took Chloe's hand, gently pulling her away from the porch and leaving me behind.

"Wait! I need a picture!" my mother called out as she disappeared into the house.

I snorted then turned to the rabbit woman with a bright smile. "Thank you. Happy Halloween."

"Happy Halloween," she responded with a genuine grin. Her buck teeth peeked into existence for a moment. She glanced back to where my mother had disappeared before setting down the bowl of candy to sign.

" _Thank you_."

"Of course. You still have my number, right?" I asked softly.

She nodded, picking the candy bowl back up.

I stepped off the porch to catch up with Abby and Xander, not sparing another glance at the house even as my mother screamed at us to come back.

. . . . .

Chloe lasted a _lot_ longer than I thought she would.

Somehow she had more stamina in her four year old body than the adults.

Except for me. I could have gone all night if the kid had wanted to.

As it was, by the time Abby called it quits Chloe was absolutely spent. She was getting piggyback rides between houses and I was fairly certain she kept nodding off.

Abby had let us go as long as she could, but she and Xander had plans, They needed to get me home so they could go enjoy their anniversary.

The ride from the suburbs to my apartment was quiet. Abby and Xander were talking to one another, so soft I couldn't make out what they were saying. James was busy on his phone, earbuds in before the door had closed. Chloe had passed out as soon as she was buckled into her booster seat.

I had texted Sans to let him know we were on our way back, and now I leaned against the window. I watched as the lawns and picket fences faded into the concrete, steel, and glass of the city.

It was the first time I had let myself slow down and _think_ in ... weeks.

It was nice.

Xander parked in the yellow "no parking" zone in front of my building and Chloe blinked herself awake. I unbuckled and hopped out of the van, turning to meet Abby's hug.

"Thanks for coming with us," she said in my ear. "You didn't have to,"

"I had fun," I said as we parted. I was about to thank her for the costume when James punched my arm.

I yelped, more out of surprise than pain. I frowned at him as I rubbed where he'd hit. It hadn't been hard, there wasn't even a mark, but it had come as a complete surprise.

"Sorry," he said with an apologetic wince. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard. Was just trying to get your attention,"

"Use your _words_ ," I said with a laugh, too confused to be angry. "What do you need so badly you'd _punch_ me?"

"Sorry," he repeated, turning red with embarrassment.

I sighed, supposing it wasn't too weird. Kid had earbuds in most of the time, and his friends probably did too. It'd be difficult to get their attention verbally.

A gentle pat or poke would have worked, but he _was_ a teenage boy. Punches were more aggressive.

More _manly_.

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him, letting him know I wasn't hurt or angry.

"Jamie," I said as I put my hands on his shoulders. "You are an idiot and I love you. I hope you have fun at your party. If you need anything, give me a call. Doesn't matter why or how late."

He gave me a small nod, not quite meeting my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. If I need anything I'll call."

"Good," I said. I took my hands off his shoulders and held out a fist.

He bumped it with his own as Chloe climbed out of the van to wrap her arms around his legs in a goodbye hug.

"You're sure this is alright?" Abby asked again.

I looked at her, confused by the concern.

"We do this every year, Abs," I said, eyebrow raised. "It has _always_ been great. I can handle the tiny terror for one night, and I'll call if anything happens."

I thought for a moment before adding, "If anything, this year is _less_ of a problem. I'll have another adult around to keep an eye on her."

Not that Sans necessarily would, but it was an option that I hadn't considered.

I wondered if he even _liked_ kids.

"Right," Abby said, her expression softening as I eased her worries. "We'll be back to pick her up tomorrow. Four at the latest. That's okay?"

"Of course. I planned for this," I told her. It was a tradition, and I loved our traditions. "My shift doesn't start until five, and my commute's only ten minutes. Even if you're not back before I have to leave, Sans'll be around."

"We should have gotten you a roommate _years_ ago," Xander chuckled. I hadn't noticed him get out of the van.

He walked by me to pick Chloe up and paste a big kiss on each of her cheeks, "Goodnight princess! Have fun with Aunt T, and don't be too much trouble."

"G'night daddy!" She shouted directly in his ear. "Bye mama!"

Xander gave me a guilty glance as he put her down.

Chloe had gotten her second wind, which meant I was in for a long night.

Before I could say anything else she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the apartment building.

I half-turned back to wave to my sister.

"Bye Abby!" I said with a chuckle. "Bye Xander! Have fun on your date!"

. . . . .

I had expected to find the living room more-or-less how I had left it. Disorganized and messy, with blankets and pillows scattered everywhere.

So when I walked into my apartment and found a proper pillow fort, I was more than a little surprised.

Sans had made a blanket fort for me.

Sans had made a blanket fort for me and he was the fucking _king_ of sleep overs.

It was _awesome_.

The main support structure was built out of what looked like gigantic, almost cartoon-like femurs. They pulsed with an inner light, and were haloed with dim purple. It was glow-in-the-dark fluorescence, dim next to the fairy lights wrapped around them.

That must have been why he had requested to be allowed to use magic.

I looked down at my niece. Her eyes as big as they could get, sparkling in the fairylights. She was absolutely dumbstruck.

I couldn't blame her. I was, too.

I reached out to touch one of the support bones, curious what it would feel like.

"I wouldn't touch it," Sans warned from behind me. I spun to find him in the kitchen, watching us as we took in his handiwork. "There's a reason I put ‘em up away from the couch."

Chloe made a sound somewhere between a squeal and a shriek and she _threw_ herself at the skeleton, nearly knocking him down.

"Did-you-do-this!?" she was speaking so quickly her words blurred together as she wrapped her arms around Sans' legs. He struggled to keep his balance, looking distinctly uncomfortable with his current predicament. "It's-so-cool-and-pretty!"

And then she was off, excitedly telling Sans about how it was the best pillow fort she had ever seen.

"Not even _Robin_ has such cool forts! And they have the _best forts_! This is even _better_! I didn't know there _was a better_!" she jumped up and down in her excitement. "Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!"

Her eager excitement faded to confusion.

"Who are you? Are you and Aunt T dating? Mama says that Aunt T - "

"Chloe," I said, cutting her off. I tried to ignore the guilt I felt at enjoying Sans' flustered reaction to my niece's love. I would have gladly let her keep going, but she brought _me_ into it.

I didn't want to know what my sister might have said about my (lack of a) love life. Or my social life in general.

"You know the rules," I said with a sigh. "You're supposed to _ask_ people before you grab them."

Chloe nodded and took a step away from Sans, looking down at the floor.

"I'm sorry," she said softly as she wrung her hands. "I'm sorry for hugging you without asking."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth her demeanor changed entirely, and she was looking up at him with stars in her eyes.

"It's just ... I was super excited! You made such an _awesome fort_! And I didn't think to ask you because it's _so cool_!"

Sans let out a soft huffing laugh.

"S'okay kiddo," he said, smiling down at her.

"Go get into your jams," I ordered gently, smiling at my niece. I leaned into the fort to grab her backpack. "I'll make us some popcorn, and then we can go through your treats!"

"Kay!" she said, all smiles and sunshine. She was a resilient little kid.

Chloe took her backpack and hugged it close to her chest before turning back to Sans with her brightest smile.

"Thank you!"

Before either of us could react she was down the hall, slamming the bathroom door shut.

I snorted, smiling after her. Then I turned to Sans with a confused frown.

"Not that I'm ungrateful," I said as I waved at the palatial blanket fort. "But if _I_ shouldn't touch these ... is Chloe gonna be safe around them?"

Sans shrugged but nodded. "She'll be fine. Kids don't have enough bad karma to get hurt ... Normal kids at least."

I glanced at the bones again.

"Besides, I don't actually know if they'll ... _work_ outside of e-space," Sans added after a minute.

"And now I'm more confused," I admitted as I walked by him to get a bag of microwave popcorn out of the pantry. "You're saying Chloe won't get hurt because she doesn't have ... karma?"

Sans nodded and I turned away from him to set the microwave.

"But _I_ might get hurt because I _do_ have karma."

"Yep," he said with a shrug. "Figured it was less likely you'd run into them than the kid. My other magic would hurt both of you."

I nodded, a little angry at myself for even thinking Sans might hurt a child. He hadn't been an ideal housemate, or even house _guest_ , but he wasn't _malicious_.

"Why," I asked. "Why go through all the trouble at all?"

"Wanted to," Sans shrugged as he pushed off of the counter, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. "She seems like a good kid. She deserves a pillow fort."

"Well, you just volunteered yourself for pillow fort duty," I said with a snort. "That setup is _really_ cool. I'm gonna need to get a picture of it for Abby."

I opened the microwave as the popping slowed down.

"Thanks," I said as I bounced the bag to fully coat the popcorn with the "real butter flavoring." I was pretty sure the flavoring was _not_ "real butter," but I didn't care much.

It was delicious.

"You made her night."

I turned as I tore the bag open, holding it away from myself so I wouldn't get a face full of steam.

Sans was already gone.

I shrugged and dumped the popcorn into a bowl. I'd make sure to thank him again in the morning. For now, I had an adorable pirate queen to take care of.

. . . . .

It took Chloe the entire run of Corpse Bride to sort out her bucket of candy. She struggled to put any in her "save" pile, putting most of the haul into "eat immediately".

She opened her first treat of the night as I worked on getting the next movie to play. I was glad I had chosen them in advance.

"Wanna watch Nightmare Before Christmas or Casper next?" I asked.

She looked at me, wide eyed and obviously unable to choose. I held out my hands to calm her, retracting my question.

"Casper! We'll watch Casper. Then _you_ gotta go brush your teeth."

Chloe nodded, and I was pretty sure we both knew she wasn't going to brush her teeth tonight. Abby probably knew, too.

I had to at least _pretend_ to be the responsible adult.

As the opening scene played I got up to rinse out the popcorn bowl. Chloe climbed further into the pillow fort, all the way to the back. She was sitting with her candy bucket between her legs, watching the movie as she ate a candy bar.

I climbed in next to her and she snuggled close to me, moving the candy bucket between us.

"You can have one," she whispered. "If you want."

"That's very generous of you, my queen," I said with a soft smile. "Thank you!"

I dug through the options before finding a yellow fun-size packet of m&ms. I grinned as I opened it to take out a single candy.

I popped it into my mouth and held the rest of the envelope to Chloe, who looked at me confused.

"You said I could eat," I said, pointing to my mouth. "So I ate _one_ ,"

"It's for you!" she said between giggles. She pushed my hand back toward me. "You can have as much as you want!"

"As much as I want?" I repeated, looking at the bucket with a mischievous grin. "Well, I'll take you up on that!"

I lifted the bucket up to my face, loudly saying "OMNOMNOMNOM" and play fighting Chloe as she giggled and tried to get it away from me.

"Aunt T! No! Not _all_ of it!" she squealed.

Pounding on my ceiling reminded me of the time and I winced and hushed my niece.

"Sorry Mr. Nguyen," I whispered toward the ceiling as we fought off the giggles. "My niece is just _too adorable_."

I gently tickled Chloe's sides and she giggled before cuddling into me. We fell into silence as we watched the movie and ate candy together.

It was a perfect Halloween.

**Author's Note:**

> Editing to add: I also wanted to share what the pirate crew look like!
> 
> [Abby](https://i.imgur.com/11hJSzN.png), [Xander](https://imgur.com/9plm7bT), [James](https://imgur.com/qjO7AdD), [Chloe](https://i.imgur.com/Uvpcu3s.png), and of course [Terra!](https://i.imgur.com/k8D0lpc.png)
> 
> Minor differences, of course - Terra wouldn't wear heels but industrial boots, and Chloe (who I drew and based off of a costume I wore one year for Halloween) has fairy wings that I forgot. But, there's the whole crew! A group of big damn heroes, in my opinion.


End file.
